Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Tidbit on August 16, 2014, 10:28:40 pm

Title: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: Tidbit on August 16, 2014, 10:28:40 pm
== CURRENT VERSION==
(https://i.imgur.com/qUv3kyc.png)



Hey gang,

It's been a while since I've posted on here (about a year) and I'm working on yet another project! It's funny how one drops and picks things up after a while but I feel like I really have something with some good honest substance this time around. I wont dive into the story or any of that, seeing how I'm looking for critique on a number of things.
Lets start off with some screenshots:
(https://i.imgur.com/q1Eb4sZ.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/wxS9gQC.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/sRQ2Snq.png)

Aside from wanting crit on the overall design and atmosphere of my map, I'm also looking for crit on my new walking animation:
(http://i.imgur.com/SkoRLoa.gif)
(http://i.imgur.com/2f3FCP8.pngp)
I haven't made the arms yet because I'd rather finish the legs before the arms just to keep things neat and simple.

I uploaded the main screens in 2x but can easily provide 1x screenshots for editing purposes if anyone needs them (I was simply too lazy to change the camera scaling settings which would've taken all of two seconds).  I always appreciate the comments and ideas given to me when I visit this board, so I look forward to what you all have to say this time :)
Title: Re: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: Zia on August 16, 2014, 11:58:14 pm
I think it might be worthwhile to up the contrast of the two greens in the grass. It's very hard to distinguish between the colours unless I'm looking veeeeery closely.
Title: Re: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: Tidbit on August 17, 2014, 12:43:07 am
I think it might be worthwhile to up the contrast of the two greens in the grass. It's very hard to distinguish between the colours unless I'm looking veeeeery closely.
They actually aren't meant to be different shades of green (save for the minor highlights), the color variation is from when I was tweaking the main ground tilesheet (which I have separated from the flora for special reasons).

EDIT:

Unless what you meant were the darker shades of green that I use in a few places? If that's what you meant then I totally agree that they need to be a bit darker or slightly different hue.
Title: Re: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: Tidbit on August 24, 2014, 06:31:05 pm
Here's a pretty minor update on some tiles for an underground ruins area:
(https://i.imgur.com/mUowuvD.png)

It's still very unfinished but I'm trying to carry along some of the style choices from the screenshots posted above.
I would really appreciate some CC on the tiles and the animation above since all I've gotten is something about the shades of green I use in my grass; I know no work is free of errors so please, fire away!
Title: Re: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: BatElite on August 24, 2014, 08:03:57 pm
(http://imgur.com/lfyvSYs.png)

I think the pillars lack contrast, and tinkered with the palette. I mostly removed  some redundant colours, and also edited the character a bit.
Title: Re: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: Mathias on August 24, 2014, 09:26:19 pm
Background elements you might not want to have unneeded contrast, though. You can see it's silhouette, you know what it is. Does it really need to say more?

An edit:

(http://i.imgur.com/YjoOM32.png)

I did stuff.
Title: Re: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: Decroded on August 25, 2014, 02:17:58 am
Grass has too much visual priority for me.
Note what Mathias did with the column and the background to make them recede despite being warm colours...
Title: Re: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: Mathias on August 25, 2014, 03:30:46 am
You're totally right. They look like important gameplay elements since they draw the eye so much, but I'm sure they're just decor.

Here:

(http://i.imgur.com/RGroGS3.png)

Did more stuff.
Title: Re: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: Tidbit on August 25, 2014, 07:20:11 am
Thanks for all the crit so far everyone! I'm a bit upset with myself that I didn't release something more finished for the new tilesheet but oh well.
The pillar objects are intended to be jump through solids which is why there are a large number of them throughout the level; although, I liked the idea of having some pillars as background elements so I went ahead and made a BG prop variant:
(https://i.imgur.com/LFAGxXz.png)
I'm going to have to change the wrap around flora for the pillars in the back as I think it looks pretty bad. I also think I'll be scraping the tiles I posted earlier as they just dont fit what I'm going for in the world. I think if I'm going for a constructed look I'll have to slowly build up those elements in the tiles as opposed to having two drastically different sets of tiles in the same world since they'd look really out of place.
Also, I implemented some of the character edits.
I'll have more to show when I wake up, it's bed time for this guy (its almost 3:30am!)  :blind:
Title: Re: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: Tidbit on August 28, 2014, 07:38:28 pm
=Minor update time=
(https://i.imgur.com/qUv3kyc.png)
Here's a little update on the "transition" tiles I talked about a few days ago. These are the kinds of tiles that'll eventually lead onto less weathered areas of the world where the ground will transition to more complete bricks in the tiles and all that. I wanted to portray a sense of rubble being embedded into the ground or sort of broken away and I think I'm headed in the right direction. If anything, I think that the rubble is a bit too strong in some areas (the flat pieces and the walls) that I'd have to make tiles that helped transition to those as well. Thoughts and opinions?
Title: Re: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: Mathias on August 28, 2014, 07:51:47 pm
Rubble? As in, the remains of long-destroyed or eroded away structures?
Right now, all those light beige dots/rocks just looks like a different type of natural earth/ground, to me.

Why that prominent vignette? Makes me feel like I'm viewing the world through a telescope or something.
I assume you're just trying to make the world look less spot-colored and want to introduce some gradation for enhanced impact/depth. Which I agree with, but I think your execution is lacking.
See a Hyper Light Drifter example (http://indiemegabooth.com/wp-cargo/uploads/2014/03/HyperLightDrifter_P001.png) of gradiently shaded low-res pixels.
Title: Re: Janus 2D Exploration Platformer [WIP][C-C]
Post by: Tidbit on August 28, 2014, 08:20:24 pm
Rubble? As in, the remains of long-destroyed or eroded away structures?
Right now, all those light beige dots/rocks just looks like a different type of natural earth/ground, to me.

Why that prominent vignette? Makes me feel like I'm viewing the world through a telescope or something.
I assume you're just trying to make the world look less spot-colored and want to introduce some gradation for enhanced impact/depth. Which I agree with, but I think your execution is lacking.
See a Hyper Light Drifter example (http://indiemegabooth.com/wp-cargo/uploads/2014/03/HyperLightDrifter_P001.png) of gradiently shaded low-res pixels.
Rubble as in what you've stated. The vignette is something I implemented quite a while ago to give a bit of cinematic look to the game and to supply a bit more depth and visual interest. Do you have any suggestions on other ways that I could go about this?
Here's an edit on the tiles:
(https://i.imgur.com/Jz49y4d.png)
Although now I feel that they don't really look weathered enough or broken up but I do like this much more than the others I made.